On Wed, 2 Jan 2002, Nick Jennings wrote:
> On Wed, Jan 02, 2002 at 03:27:57PM -0500, Perry E. Metzger wrote:
> >
> > In general, the open source software universe has this problem, which
> > is how to assure that smart people can make a living doing free/open
> > source software. Writing good large programs is a full time job, and
> > people need to have ways to paying for that.
> >
> > Having started a company dedicated to an open source product (NetBSD
> > in my instance), let me say that this is a hard problem.
>
> Agreed. It's alot easier for someone to make a living of selling drugs,
> or prostituting themseleves, than it is for someone to make a living
> of doing good for the community.
Come now. There are many ways to do "good for the community". Not all
involve working for non-profits, which I assume is what you mean.
> That's one of the things I hate about
> Capitalism. It's designed around the dollar, not around progress, or
> freedom.
Yes, capitalism is oriented around corporations trying to maximize profit.
Individuals too are generally interested in maximizing income.
However, the capitalism economic system does depend on the freedom of
businesses and individuals to act as they see fit, within the confines of
the law. Capitalism may not lead to what you consider "progress", but it
does have the nifty ability to serve most any need for which there is
sufficient demand. To many, that is "progress".
The paradox of capitalism, IMHO, is that the needs of society as a whole
are best met when businesses and individuals act in their own best
self-interest. Others have explained why better than I ever could.
Joshua